National Basketball Association

Preseason Power Rankings: The Northwest Division

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:02 p.m. ET

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Dec 27, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) dunks the ball against the Denver Nuggets during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Nuggets and Northwest Division have clashed on several instances, and now we will check out where they rank among the divisions best.

In my opinion, the Denver Nuggets play in the most difficult division in basketball, and yes, even after Kevin Durant left, I still believe that. The Northwest Division consists of five basketball teams- the Portland Trail Blazers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets, and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Three of the Western Conference’s top six teams are in this division, according to ESPN’s Western Conference forecast. ESPN has Portland at four, Utah at five, Oklahoma City at six, and then they have the Minnesota Timberwolves at ten and the Denver Nuggets at twelve.

Truthfully, I would not disagree with them. The Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves are two teams that are FULL of young potential and have some of the best young talent in the game.

Along with Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard, and an incredible Utah team in the division, check out how we rank them at the start of the season.

Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Jamal Murray (Kentucky) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number seven overall pick to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Nuggets

This is a Denver Nuggets blog, and I love the Nuggets, but it would take a lot to place them higher. In this star studded division, the Denver Nuggets seem to be left in the cold without a superstar.

But, they may have the best “team” in the division. With players like Nikola Jokic, Emmanuel Mudiay, and Danilo Gallinari leading their balanced offensive attack, the Denver offense will look to put up more than 101.9 points per game this season.

Another key for the Denver Nuggets will be to limit their turnovers. They were 13th in the NBA in turnovers per game, and hopefully with Emmanuel Mudiay going into his sophomore season, cutting down on this could be possible.

Not only do the Denver Nuggets have a balanced offensive attack, they have what could be the NBA’s best bench. Their bench is led by Will Barton and Wilson Chandler. This team could have a great season, and coach Michael Malone could have a shot at coach of the year.

Along with their star rookie Jamal Murray, the Denver Nuggets will hope to get contributions from their draftees all around. If Murray along with Malik Beasley and Juancho Hernangomez can develop smoothly this season, the Denver Nuggets will most certainly be threatening the division next season.

Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Kris Dunn (Providence) shows off the inside of his coat after being selected as the number five overall pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Minnesota Timberwolves

As the ESPN’s Summer Forecast for the Western Conference had the Timberwolves at #10 in the West, I am not buying it. The Minnesota Timberwolves led by young superstar Karl-Anthony Towns are set to dominate. They have the defense; they have the scoring; and they have the pace.

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This team led by Zach LaVine, Andrew Wiggins, and KAT will be running the court against every team this season. Along with newly acquired Kris Dunn, I would not be surprised if they found their way into the playoffs.

They also need to cut their turnovers as they were top 10 in turnovers per game last season. For Minnesota to take the next step, they need to take control of the rock. If they could somehow deal Rubio for an extra big man, they could soaring to a top 8 finish in the West with ease.

Their other issue is that they were second to last in three pointers made per game last season. That HAS to change. In a evolving game of basketball where making this shot is almost necessary, the Minnesota Timberwolves are one key shooter away from being a real stronghold in the West.

Apr 11, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; (Editors note: Caption correction) Dallas Mavericks player Devin Harris arrives at Vivint Smart Home Arena prior to the game against the Utah Jazz. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Utah Jazz

After an incredible trade in which Utah acquire George Hill, this team will be set to certainly challenge for playoff spot. The ESPN forecast had the Utah Jazz finishing 5th in the Western Conference.

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With Gobert and Favors hauling down the middle, the Utah Jazz had one significant problem least season, and that distribution. They were unstable in their backcourt, and now with the return of Exum and addition of Hill, the Jazz may be able to claw their way out of the league’s bottom three in assist per game.

Gordan Hayward is a terrific player for the Jazz, and he may be able to carry them to the promise land. He had an excellent season last year as he averaged 19.7 points per game on a 55.9 true shooting percentage.

If Utah is to excel, it will be on the back of Hayward. This season could be a make-or-break for him to show his superstar potential.

I think right now that the Utah Jazz are a solid group, but I would take Russell Westbrook and Co. over them, at the moment.

May 30, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) dribbles the basketball against Golden State Warriors guard Shaun Livingston (34) during the third quarter in game seven of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Thunder 96-88. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder have had one of the most involved off seasons of any NBA team. They lost an incredible talent in Kevin Durant, but they gained some in Victor Oladipo and Co.

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Ultimately, this team will be the Russell Westbrook show. And, I don’t see how anyone can disagree with that. Last season, with Kevin Durant, Westbrook was #7 with 88.8 touches per game.

Kevin Durant was hardly in the top 50 players last season in touches per game as he only had 65.3, that is lower than Nicolas Batum, Gordon Hayward, Paul George, and many other inferior players.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will certainly not be better without Kevin Durant, but they obviously did not give him the touches that he deserved. They now have an interesting supporting cast. Adams and Kanter are both solid bigs; along with a deep roster, I could see OKC finishing top 6 in the West.

The transition to a culture without KD should be easier on OKC. Right now, the monster that is Russell Westbrook places them above the Utah Jazz.

May 11, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Mason Plumlee (24) goes to the basket against the Golden State Warriors during game five of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Trail Blazers 125-121. Mandatory Credit: John G. Mabanglo-Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports

Portland Trail Blazers

This was an easy one for me. Damian Lillard and company have easily proved that they should secure the top spot of the division. With a young superstar leading the way and C.J. McCollum backing him up, Portland could be in position to make another playoff run.

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What makes Damian and McCollum so important?

The Portland Trail Blazers were sixth in the league in points per game with 105.1, and the duo of Lillard and McCollum teamed up to average 45.9 points per game which is 43.67% of the teams overall scoring. I may be wrong, but besides Golden State that could easily be top 5 for backcourts.

Without the McCollum threat, the Blazers diminish quite a bit, but his consistent presence along with newly added Evan Turner will certainly spark Rip City to another better-than-expected record.

As teams win and lose, these rankings may alter, but it seems that going into the preseason these will be our power rankings.

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